Bruno Fernandes REJECTS £700,000-a-week Al Hilal transfer to stay at Manchester United

Bruno Fernandes is set to stay at Manchester United, talkSPORT understands. The United captain has rejected a lucrative £700,000-per-week move to Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal after consulting with his family. Fernandes looks set to stay at UnitedGetty Fernandes wants to continue his career in a top European League. United head coach Ruben Amorim has also made it clear he does not want to lose him this summer. Saudi chiefs were confident on reaching an agreement with the 30-year-old Portuguese international. Al Hilal were ready to make a £100m offer for Fernandes too, but this now looks unlikely ahead of the summer transfer window. talkSPORT understands that Fernandes’ decision does not affect the club’s pursuit of Bryan Mbeumo. talkSPORT understands United have held talks with Brentford over the winger, who is valued at £50m. Fernandes has two years remaining on his contract at United and did previously cast doubt over his future after their Europa League final defeat. “I have always been honest, if the club thinks it’s time to part ways because they want to do some cashing in or whatever, it’s what it is. “Football sometimes is like this. I’ve always said I will be here until the club says to me that it’s time to go. “I’m eager to do more, to be able to bring the club to the great days. United are on course to keep their captainGetty “The day that the club thinks that I’m too much or it’s time to part ways, football is like this, you never know it. “But I’ve always said it and I keep my word in the same way.” Fernandes’ captaincy at United has been questioned in the past but the midfielder was a shining light in a disastrous season. He reached 19 goals and 19 assists across all competitions and didn’t play in just three of their 60 matches. The former Sporting Lisbon star has won the FA Cup and Carabao Cup since moving to Old Trafford too. Fernandes has made 290 appearances in six seasons for United and is just two goals away from hitting a century. Fernandes was United’s best player last seasontalkSPORT The Red Devils have already signed Matheus Cunha from Wolves in a £62.5m deal. The forward, who scored 15 Premier League goals last season, will take the number 10 shirt at the club. talkSPORT verdict talkSPORT’s Saudi football correspondent Ben Jacobs gives us the inside verdict on Bruno Fernandes rejecting Al Hilal. Not necessarily a huge surprise because although there were positive talks last week regarding the financials, Bruno Fernandes always made it clear that he needed some time to deliberate with his family. We’ve learned in the last 48 hours that this for Fernandes would not just be a football or a financial decision. So a little bit like when Lionel Messi said no to Saudi Arabia and went instead to Inter Miami and MLS, that was a family decision too. I think for Bruno Fernandes, the first consideration was what his wife and family felt about Saudi Arabia. He’s only 30. If he waits until after the 2026 World Cup, the offer will likely still be there again and he will know that. So there’s an openness to Saudi Arabia, but there was always a bit of reticence about whether now was the right time in a season leading up to a World Cup, likely of course Fernandes’ last World Cup because of his age. Then in addition to that, there’s Manchester United’s own ambition, which might sound a strange thing to say given no Champions League football and their league position last season. But if you look at this push in the early days of the window, Cunha and Mbeumo, I think Bruno Fernandes would see that ambition, even if those two players are actually competition for where he plays and maybe feel that this is the first window that Ruben Amorim and Ineos are really going to be able to make their mark. Optically he has played it quite expertly because straight after there was talk about his future and Manchester United had lost that Europa League final to Spurs, Bruno Fernandes said, I’m a Manchester United player unless they, the club, want to cash out on me. So immediately set an agenda that if this was going to happen, it would be because Manchester United would take the money, would run and would reinvest in three or four other players. Then in contrast to that position, his agent spent a week last week in the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh, taking meetings and having advanced discussions and getting the offer to the point that it was final. I think history will be a bit rewritten here. We’ll never know how close Bruno Fernandes really was and if it was only a football and financial decision, if he might have gone. But footballers naturally are thinking about themselves as human beings, their family, their children.

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Bruno Fernandes REJECTS £700,000-a-week Al Hilal transfer to stay at Manchester United

Bruno Fernandes is set to stay at Manchester United, talkSPORT understands.

The United captain has rejected a lucrative £700,000-per-week move to Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal after consulting with his family.

Fernandes wants to continue his career in a top European League.

United head coach Ruben Amorim has also made it clear he does not want to lose him this summer.

Saudi chiefs were confident on reaching an agreement with the 30-year-old Portuguese international.

Al Hilal were ready to make a £100m offer for Fernandes too, but this now looks unlikely ahead of the summer transfer window.

talkSPORT understands that Fernandes’ decision does not affect the club’s pursuit of Bryan Mbeumo.

talkSPORT understands United have held talks with Brentford over the winger, who is valued at £50m.

Fernandes has two years remaining on his contract at United and did previously cast doubt over his future after their Europa League final defeat.

“I have always been honest, if the club thinks it’s time to part ways because they want to do some cashing in or whatever, it’s what it is.

“Football sometimes is like this. I’ve always said I will be here until the club says to me that it’s time to go.

“I’m eager to do more, to be able to bring the club to the great days.

United are on course to keep their captain

“The day that the club thinks that I’m too much or it’s time to part ways, football is like this, you never know it.

“But I’ve always said it and I keep my word in the same way.”

Fernandes’ captaincy at United has been questioned in the past but the midfielder was a shining light in a disastrous season.

He reached 19 goals and 19 assists across all competitions and didn’t play in just three of their 60 matches.

The former Sporting Lisbon star has won the FA Cup and Carabao Cup since moving to Old Trafford too.

Fernandes has made 290 appearances in six seasons for United and is just two goals away from hitting a century.

Fernandes was United’s best player last season

The Red Devils have already signed Matheus Cunha from Wolves in a £62.5m deal.

The forward, who scored 15 Premier League goals last season, will take the number 10 shirt at the club.

talkSPORT verdict

talkSPORT’s Saudi football correspondent Ben Jacobs gives us the inside verdict on Bruno Fernandes rejecting Al Hilal.

Not necessarily a huge surprise because although there were positive talks last week regarding the financials, Bruno Fernandes always made it clear that he needed some time to deliberate with his family.

We’ve learned in the last 48 hours that this for Fernandes would not just be a football or a financial decision. So a little bit like when Lionel Messi said no to Saudi Arabia and went instead to Inter Miami and MLS, that was a family decision too.

I think for Bruno Fernandes, the first consideration was what his wife and family felt about Saudi Arabia.

He’s only 30. If he waits until after the 2026 World Cup, the offer will likely still be there again and he will know that.

So there’s an openness to Saudi Arabia, but there was always a bit of reticence about whether now was the right time in a season leading up to a World Cup, likely of course Fernandes’ last World Cup because of his age.

Then in addition to that, there’s Manchester United’s own ambition, which might sound a strange thing to say given no Champions League football and their league position last season.

But if you look at this push in the early days of the window, Cunha and Mbeumo, I think Bruno Fernandes would see that ambition, even if those two players are actually competition for where he plays and maybe feel that this is the first window that Ruben Amorim and Ineos are really going to be able to make their mark.

Optically he has played it quite expertly because straight after there was talk about his future and Manchester United had lost that Europa League final to Spurs, Bruno Fernandes said, I’m a Manchester United player unless they, the club, want to cash out on me.

So immediately set an agenda that if this was going to happen, it would be because Manchester United would take the money, would run and would reinvest in three or four other players.

Then in contrast to that position, his agent spent a week last week in the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh, taking meetings and having advanced discussions and getting the offer to the point that it was final.

I think history will be a bit rewritten here. We’ll never know how close Bruno Fernandes really was and if it was only a football and financial decision, if he might have gone. But footballers naturally are thinking about themselves as human beings, their family, their children.